Physics

Course summary

This course is an exciting and up-to-date look at modern physics and its applications. Physical laws govern everything that happens in the universe and therefore the course is filled with wonders and excitement that the students can discover. Being a practical subject this voyage of discovery is often achieved through an experimental approach to the concepts and principles involved. There are plenty of opportunities to develop practical ideas into reality by designing and carrying out investigations. Students are pushed to question everything and think critically. The course followed in Physics is not only suitable for students who are thinking of following a scientific career, but also for students who may wish to include an intellectually stimulating, and indeed scientific, aspect to their studies, particularly now that more emphasis is being placed on breadth of study. The two-year linear course contains a variety of topics and is ideal to prepare students for their next stage of education. During the Lower Sixth students will study the principles and applications of particles and radiation, electricity, mechanics, materials and waves. In the Upper Sixth year students will move on to further study of mechanics and thermal physics, fields, and nuclear physics. They will also study one topic from the options list. Students are encouraged to read about the subject and to attend physics lectures that are often taking place at many of the universities in and around London. Our students attend summer courses in physics and engineering, write articles for magazines and enter competitions regularly. They also may attend various school trips such as the ever-popular visit to CERN. After completing the course with us students have gone on to study Physics at Oxford and other universities around the world or Natural Sciences at Cambridge. Engineering is becoming more popular and many old Dolphins have gone on to read various types of engineering at UCL, King’s, Imperial and Cambridge to name but a few.